Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Greenland to melt and drown Alexandria

Sort of reminds you of the interconnectedness of things, doesn't it? From Islam Online:
[...] Alexandria hosts the biggest harbor in Egypt. It is an important economic and trade hub and contributes nearly 40 percent of the country's industrial activities. According to projections from computer climate models, a large part of the city may be inundated due to climate change.

"Projections depend on lots of things," said Dr. Piers Forster, a Roberts Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds. "You get a whole lot of different scenarios and you put them into your climate computer and it produces several models." [...]

"We can predict quite accurately how sea level will rise by thermal expansion – and this could be anywhere between 20 cm to 60 cm by 2100, or half this by 2050," explained Forster. "This won't be too bad, but some scientists are predicting that Greenland could melt very fast - and there is an extra 600 cm of sea-level sitting on top of Greenland."

This could easily lead to Alexandria – and several other coastal cities in Egypt – completely disappearing under water. "However, there are big arguments between the experts as to whether Greenland will melt fast." Some think it could happen in 50 years, while others say it may take up to a millennium. [...]
So it wouldn't be a good thing to have an office pool about.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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